Hydraulic dredges have many systems that require power. For any application, traditional design dictates that the dredge prime mover must be capable of providing sufficient power to run all systems simultaneously at full capacity. Applications calling for such conditions however occur only rarely. Further, when called for, such conditions are required for only a very small portion of the time spent dredging. Therefore, a considerable amount of standby power is available during a majority of the dredging time. This standby power can be used to increase dredging efficiency.
Previously, attempts to increase dredging efficiency have focused on improving dredge mechanics. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,346,180 describes a means for increasing dredge output by providing a suction booster to produce a higher velocity and higher concentration of dredged material in the suction pipe. This system however does not address use of the idle standby power.
Dredging is a costly endeavor. Increasing dredging efficiency saves not only the costs associated with the dredging process, but also saves valuable time. Heretofore, no one has addressed improving the efficiency of the dredging process by utilizing available standby power.
All patents, patent applications, provisional patent applications and publications referred to or cited herein, are incorporated by reference in their entirety to the extent they are not inconsistent with the explicit teachings of the specification.